One messenger. Two services. A 2003 feeling.
Everything modern messengers do, wrapped in the look you miss.
WhatsApp + Telegram
Both accounts in one app, cleanly split by tab. QR login, your real chats.
Separate chat windows
Every contact gets its own floating window, true ICQ 5 style.
Skins
ICQ Retro Dark, ICQ Retro Light and MSN Messenger. One click re-skins everything.
uh-oh!
The legendary ICQ notification sound on every new message.
Voice, media & stickers
Voice messages, images, videos, GIFs, stickers, read receipts, typing indicator.
Portable, on every computer
A single .exe with no install, plus versions for macOS and Linux. Use it on several computers at once — each one links as its own device.
The real thing, not a mockup
Screenshots straight from the running app. Contact names are blacked out for privacy, nothing else is retouched.
Pick your era
Three skins, built from pure CSS. The look of back then, without the old files.
The honest answers
The questions everybody asks before downloading an .exe from a stranger.
Can my WhatsApp account get banned?
Possibly, yes. ICQ Retrogram talks to WhatsApp's multi-device protocol directly, the same way other third-party clients do. WhatsApp's Terms of Service only permit their official apps, and they do act against unofficial clients. Nobody can promise you otherwise — do not use it on an account you cannot afford to lose.
Who can read my messages?
There is no server of mine involved. The app connects from your machine straight to WhatsApp and Telegram, so nothing is routed through a third party. Your logins and chat cache stay in the local ICQ-Data folder. The whole source is on GitHub under MIT — you do not have to take my word for it, you can read it.
Why does Windows warn me when I start it?
The builds are not code-signed — a certificate costs money a hobby project does not have. SmartScreen therefore flags every unknown publisher. Click "More info", then "Run anyway". On macOS, right-click the app and choose "Open". If that is not good enough for you, clone the repo and build it yourself.
Is this the real ICQ coming back?
No. This is an independent project with no connection to ICQ or AOL, and it does not revive ICQ's network. It rebuilds ICQ 5's interface and puts it on top of the messengers you already use — so there is no empty network, your contacts are simply already there.
ICQ was shut down in 2024 — is this an alternative?
ICQ's own servers went offline for good on 26 June 2024, and every ICQ contact list with them. ICQ Retrogram brings back the part people miss — the ICQ 5 look, the floating chat windows, the uh-oh — and runs it on WhatsApp and Telegram, where your contacts are today.
Ready for the time travel?
Download ICQ Retrogram for free and connect your WhatsApp in 60 seconds.
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